


Discovery

by platinumfail



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, Fem!Makoto, Fluff, Free! Mermaid AU, Rule 63, SeiGou - Freeform, fem!Nagisa, fem!Nitori, fem!ai, fem!aiichiro, fem!harumako, fem!makoharu, fem!maruka, fem!nagirei, fem!nitorin, fem!rintori, free rule 63, harumako, makoharu - Freeform, maruka, mermaid au, nagirei - Freeform, nitorin - Freeform, reigisa - Freeform, rintori - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 02:15:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1881264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platinumfail/pseuds/platinumfail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As part of an elite family pod of mermaids, Nagisa is expected to produce potential heirs. One problem though — she’s in love with a human. </p><p>Mermaid!Nagisa and human!Rei AU.</p><p>A fem!nagisa/rei tumblr prompt request.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> here's the request fill for a mermaid AU i got months ago! i'm so glad that i was able to develop it and produce it. i decided to not have Nagisa speak english and stuff with Rei, since I figure that as a mermaid, she would only be able to pick out some english words from being around the docks and boats. 
> 
> when she's with her pod, i have her speaking in english, but she's really just speaking in the clicks and whistles as she does with Rei. 
> 
> I watched this thing on mermaids on Animal Planet (don't judge me) and found that most of the mermaids "covered" had squeals and clicks, not any "formal" usage of language. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!  
> Love,  
> Kayla

            A lot of people said _they_ didn't exist. If you so much as got a "glance" of _them_ , you were teased for awhile before being dismissed as seeing a dolphin or large fish.  The tales old ship captains would tell about _them_ ranged from outrageous to mildly believable. The tales went from fantasy to horror within seconds. There were stories that talked about _them_ being absolutely gorgeous...but murderous as well.

            _They_ were _mermaids_.

            Which was why Rei Ryugazaki was grumbling on his father's ship as they were in the middle of the pacific, looking for a rumored new island that was potentially surrounded by the mythical creatures. Rei sat on the ship deck with his notebook, biting the cap of his pen as his father's men were looking at the ominous black clouds above. Rei was used to the ocean storms popping up, since he's been on the damn rickety ship for about six weeks. Rei used to get extremely seasick, basically spending his whole day leaning over the wooden ship railing, emptying the contents of his stomach. His father's shipmates teased that Rei wouldn't last a week...but he did.  

            Rei only tagged along since he wanted to be a Marine Biologist, and the fact that he went out on an expedition with his scientist/captain father would pop out on any college thesis paper. Rei bit his pen cap harder when he realized he'd be returning to university in less than a month. If Rei and his father didn't find the island in question, he'd be absolutely screwed out of his newly proclaimed major. Rei stood up and closed his notebook full of notes concerning water temperatures and various sea life when the first droplet of rain fell. He didn't want to get his notes soaking wet. He grimaced and walked into his quarters, seeing his father with a very worried face.

            "Rei, I need you to stay on deck." His father commanded, staring his navy-haired son in the eyes.

            "Why? It's raining and I don't want to get wet—"

            "A large storm is coming and I need all hands on deck." The older male spoke, his mouth forming a thin line.

            Rei swallowed dryly, nervous. He was just now getting used to the mild ocean storms, but now a huge one was coming. Rei could barely stand sitting on the deck as it rained, let alone running along the swaying ship trying to hold ropes tighter...or whatever the hell sailors did.

            "Father, I don't—"

            "Rei. Now. If you don't help out and we _survive_ , I'm dropping you off at the next port and arranging a flight for you to return to Tokyo. Understood?" His father barked, leaving Rei behind as he climbed up to the upper deck, thunder beginning to rumble.

            Rei let out a frustrated breath and got up on the deck, wincing when lightning flashed and lit up the whole sky, the water getting choppier and choppier by the second. The sky turned a sickening charcoal color, completely blocking out the sun that was there just moments before. Men were frantically running around the ship, holding onto ropes when the waves grew larger and flung onto the ship, the salty cold water splashing upon the deck. Rei grumbled when his glasses were chock full of water droplets. He grimaced when his father handed Rei a rope and told his son to climb up to the crows nest to secure the sail.

            At least...that's what Rei _thought_ he heard his father say over the crashing of the violent waves.

            Rei tried to dry off his glasses as he put the rope in his mouth before scaling up the large pole, but let out a small curse when the wind picked up and his red glasses got swept away. He squinted and continued scaling the pole, letting out a sigh of relief when he reached the lookout "balcony" on the top of the crows nest, holding back vomit when seeing how high up he was. He saw his father's crew taking his father's water/bacteria samples to the bottom of the ship as the others were tightening the ropes up. Rei bit his lip as he triple knotted the rope that was given to him, letting out a relieved sigh when it stayed put. Rei bit his lip as he carefully began to slide down the crows nest, another wave crashing into the ship, Rei suddenly flung to the side, his legs completely off of the pole. He kicked his legs to try and get them to wrap around the slim pole, wincing when the ship tipped more, the crew all going to the lower deck.

            Rei cursed loudly, unable to scale down since the ship was swaying to the left side. Rei felt his hands losing their grip due to the fierce rain that was pelting down on Rei's sensitive skin. He tried to wrap his legs around the pole again, but to no avail. Rei felt his arms scream for release, and he found himself no longer able to hold on. He winced and knew that he couldn't swim. His heart was racing in panic, knowing that this would potentially be his last moment alive. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to apply some sort of velocity formula to get his legs to get around the damn wooden pole. He had no time to think, however, when his arms gave out and his hands let go of the pole, splinters filling up his nimble fingers.

            Rei was so shocked that he could barely feel his body impacting the harsh water, his worries about broken bones leaving his mind as he sunk like a rock. His eyes painfully opened and stung with the salt water that was leaking in. He felt the inevitable burning in his nose from the water, weakly holding his slim arms up, trying to see if his fingers could touch the surface. He was already too deep within the water, seeing lightning flash above him as he desperately wanted to reach the surface, his body beginning to shut down from the amount of water that was pulling him under, the ocean current relentlessly strong. His lavender eyes closed as he felt his fate creeping up on him, going completely limp, stopping his fight for survival. He thought he felt slim fingers grasp onto his torso, but passed out before he could even think about opening his heavy eyelids.

\--

            Rei started seeing cracks of light and warm sand underneath his arms as he stirred. He shook a bit, soon letting out a drastic and disgusting cough, feeling salt water leave his thin lips. He jolted up, feeling a dull pain in his chest, letting out another cough, nearly vomiting with the force. He shook his head and blinked rapidly, hiding his eyes.

            "Tu-turn off the light..." Rei whimpered, hiding his lavender irises behind his sculpted arm, letting out a painful moan when feeling his arms being gently pulled away from his eyes.

            He blinked rapidly as he tried to get the world in focus. Rei soon remembered what happened to him. He fell off his father's ship and lost his glasses as he was trying to rope up the crows nest. He blinked once again, adjusting to the bright light, nervous. Wasn't he supposed to drown? He didn't remember seeing land for miles upon his father's ship. There was no logical way he was washed upon shore. He was in the hands of death as he sunk to the bottom of the ocean. There was no way he floated about 10 miles to the nearest landmass. He finally got used to the bright sunlight, turning to his side.

            His jaw dropped wide open when he saw a blur of a female body next to his. He let out a loud yelp, quickly shifting away, shaking his head, his cheeks a bright red. A girl rescued him? He sighed. She must've been a scuba diver who saw his body...or another boater who saw him fall off the crows nest. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

            That was no way to thank someone who saved your life.

            Rei turned towards the female figure, but found himself surprised when the girl was gone. He squinted, cursing his horrible vision. He could've _sworn_ he saw a slim girl next to him. Her face was right next to his. She had bright magenta eyes, her nose was slim and like a button. Rei shakily stood, looking around him.

            "H-hello?" Rei called out, biting his lip.

            Rei looked around and finally saw the same pair of magenta eyes hiding behind a rock, the waves lapping at it. Rei carefully approached, tilting his head. Why was the girl so afraid? I mean, she was just a fellow sailor or scuba diver. Rei tilted his head and held out his hand.

            "Thanks for saving me. My name is Rei." Rei tried to socialize, wincing.

            So many questions flew through his head. Where was he? How could he get back home? Was there a village nearby? He was about to open his mouth and ask a question when he saw the impossible.

            The girl flicked her tail.

            Yeah. _Her tail_.

            Her. _Tail_.

            Rei flung back, letting out a surprised scream, wincing once more. If he kept doing that, he was going to scare the... _creature_ away! He sat up, the creature letting out a silent whimper, obviously terrified of him letting out such loud noises. Rei slowly approached once again, clearing his throat, trying to maintain some dignity.

            "I-I'm sorry. W-who...wh-what are you?" Rei questioned, standing above the rock.

            The creature looked up at him with gorgeous magenta eyes, her long brown eyelashes tickling her beautiful pale cheeks. Her lips were somewhat plump and pale, her eyebrows a blondish brown that matched her messy hair. Her eyebrows were lifted up in surprise as Rei stood closer. He looked around for her tail and saw it lapping at the ocean water affectionately. Rei let out a small gasp, it making sense.

            The creature was a mermaid. She had her tail lapping in the shallow clear blue waters of the island as a comfort and an easy escape if Rei proved to lash out and hurt her. She was extremely curious as she tilted her head to match Rei's, looking deeply into his lavender eyes. Rei's eyes traced along her tail, surprised at the seemingly unbelievable body part with the most beautiful color. It started out as a light pink, trailing off of her pale torso, eventually going in a gradient to a mild salmon pink and then to a breathtakingly light gold color. Her tail reminded Rei of a sunset, and he stared at the appendage even more as the mermaid slowly pulled herself up on the rock, her whole torso available for Rei to look at.

            Her lips curved up into a smile, a small sound that resembled a giggle bubbling out of her throat when Rei's eyes landed on her chest, causing him to turn several shades of red, hiding his face in his hands. He didn't expect the girl to have a...bare chest. Didn't mermaids wear shell bras or something?! Rei cleared his throat and tried to look at the lovely mermaid once again, fighting his boyish impulse to look down at her breasts. Rei's eyes betrayed him and gave in, looking at her pale chest. Her breasts were nice and round, but small. She seemed excited to show off her body to Rei, gently holding out her barely webbed hands to the navy-haired human, her mouth opening barely.

            "Chm'mn..." She hummed, biting her lip.

            Rei tilted his head, nodding when he understood the girl. She wanted him to come closer. He bit his lip and complied. It was the least he could do, right? He suddenly remembered all the stupid mermaid tales he was told by his father's shipmates. They all said the mermaids were...very tempting, and would lure men towards them before dragging them underneath the water to their deaths. Rei stumbled a bit, rethinking going near the beauty. He looked at the white sand and then back up.

            It would be illogical that the girl would merely pull Rei out of the jaws of death just to kill him later. Rei sighed and knelt down next to the female, seeing her tail flip happily, splashing water on his face. He grimaced and flinched. She let out a whine and pulled out something underneath her. He gasped when he saw that it was his red glasses. She let out another sound of a giggle, taking the glasses and playing with them. She slowly put them on her eyes.

            The mermaid was known for being very curious towards human activities and belongings. She had seen several men and women on the shore wearing the "mirrors" on their eyes. She let out a squeal, clapping her mildly webbed hands together, squinting. Rei let out a breathless laugh towards the female.

            "Take them off, you're going to damage your eyes..." He breathed, politely taking the glasses from the female and placing them on his face.

            He let out a gasp as the female came into more focus, his breath nearly being knocked out of his lungs. She was absolutely beautiful. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She bit her plump bottom lip as she tilted her head, worried as to why the male let out a sharp gasp. She gently put a hand on his angular face, stroking his cheek. Rei leaned into the touch, it so soft and delicate. She slowly pulled her hand back, pulling herself closer to the male, her tail leaving the water as she tried to curl up into his lap, her tail laving around lazily.

            Rei bit his lip in surprise, his eyes widening. He didn't know the mermaid would be so affectionate. He figured that she must've seen humans before, or interacted with them before. Rei then shook that thought out of his head. If the mermaid interacted with a human before, she surely would've been caught and killed, or put on a sick display. He slowly brought up his trembling hands as he allowed himself to touch her soft back. She let out a purring noise, arching her chest up in happiness. Rei once again tried to avert his eyes from her breasts.

            "Ca-can you speak?" Rei questioned, the mermaid returning with a nod.

            She let out a muted hum, then making a mild click, smiling brightly. She touched his face again and let out another purr as Rei's hands moved on her slim back. She arched once again and purred her lips right into his cheek, nuzzling. Rei was about to curl up with the mermaid when he suddenly came to a realization.

            He had no idea where his father's ship was. He was stranded on an island with a once-believed mythical creature, not even knowing if there was any civilization on the island. His heart raced and the mermaid worriedly noticed, putting a hand on his chest. She bit her lip and let out a sympathetic whine, her eyebrows knitting together. He felt anxiety filling him up, his hands leaving her silky back. She slowly pulled herself off of his body and put her head on his chest, listening. Rei jolted back in surprise, then realizing what the mermaid was doing.

            She was trying to see what was wrong with him.

            She let out another worried whimper, her magenta eyes large and watery as she looked up. She was not used to human bodily functions. When she felt the once steady beat speed up to near mind blowing levels, she went into a small panic. She gently laid him down in the sand and made her way back to the ocean, sending him a look before going underneath, her not popping up again.

            Rei stood in a state of shock, flustered. Was that it? The mermaid just left! He put his hands in his navy hair, letting out a loud groan. What the hell was he doing, and why the hell was he already attached to the damn mythical being?! He paced. He needed to find a way off the island and to the nearest civilized shoreline. From there, he would catch a flight to Tokyo and hopefully his father would be in the harbor. He looked around and sighed when he found wood on the island. He could probably create a little boat.

            He was placing pieces of wood together when he felt a wet hand tickle his neck. He jumped up in surprise and let out a sigh when he realized the beautiful mermaid returned. She blushed and handed him a fish. She tilted her head and played with her fingers, letting out a small noise.

            "Eee-hnn." She nodded, telling Rei to eat.

            Rei caught up on it and smiled shyly, understanding that the mermaid only left to get him food. She also handed him the seaweed that was in her hand. Rei bit his lip and took it, even though he knew he wouldn't eat it. She watched Rei build a fire and she let out a panicked yelp when the wood ignited and the scarlet fire roared. Rei looked back at the mermaid who was trembling. She had obviously never seen a fire before. He bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to comfort the mermaid. He pushed out his legs and tried to pull her to him, letting out a startled sound when he found her letting out a loud squeal at his legs.

            She rolled up his pants and began to gently pet his legs, her magenta eyes lighting up. Rei tried to hold back a laugh. The girl was just as memorized by his legs as he was by her tail. He gutted his fish as the mermaid watched, him raising an eyebrow.

            "What's your name?" He asked, biting his lip.

            The mermaid thought to herself, shaking her head. She didn't understand. Rei cleared his throat and sat up, looking at the girl, pointing to himself.

            "Rei." He spoke, once again pointing to his chest. "Rei."

            The mermaid then understood, nodding excitedly. She pointed to her bare chest, causing Rei to blush once more. She let out a small sound and took a breath. "Rei!" She exclaimed, mimicking the boy's accent perfectly. Rei nearly melted at her voice.

            Her voice was sweet and not very high pitched. It was like regular female's voice, and there was so much affection in her words. Rei blushed and shook his head.

            "No, no. I'm Rei." Rei spoke, pointing to himself. He then touched the mermaid's chest, letting out a furious blush when he heard her purr once again. "Not Rei."

            She nodded and understood, biting her lip. She was about to open her mouth when a click came from the waters. She quickly turned her head and Rei nearly fainted. He stared at the face that was peeking out of the water, the tail flicking out, seemingly annoyed behind her. The mermaid had dark burgundy hair, her red eyes hiding a glare. She let out a series of angry clicks towards the blonde, and the blonde's shoulders slumped. He saw her try to talk with the other mermaid, but was quickly shut up by more of the clicks. The other female mermaid was beautiful as well, and her dark pink tail kept flicking angrily.

            "Nagisa!" The mermaid called out, crossing her arms.

            Rei's ears perked up as the mermaids continued to bicker with clicks. Nagisa? Rei was excited that he found a potential name.

            "Nagisa?" He quickly blurted, cutting off the females.

            The blonde perked up and let out a happy noise, nodding excitedly. The other mermaid merely glared, upset. Rei watched the other mermaid send more clicks, Nagisa seemingly arguing.

            "Gou!" The blonde cried, making Rei's ears perk up once again.

_Nagisa and Gou._

            The mermaid named Gou seemingly steamed and closed her eyes, pursing her plump lips. She then sent Nagisa a serious look, followed by clicks and the name "Rin." Rei saw Nagisa quickly back down, sending a sympathetic look towards Rei. She was obviously being called back to her pod. Rei looked down at the sand, sad. Was this the last time he was going to see Nagisa? He saw the girl slide back into the water, Gou quickly swimming up to her and giving her a relieved hug. Rei watched the behavior between the two and Nagisa allowed Gou to dive back into the sea before she turned and held a hand up to Rei, a small smile on her lips. She let out a series of affectionate clicks.

            "Rei~" She purred, lowering her eyelids, Rei immediately standing up and getting close to the water's edge.

            She bit her lip and purred once again, wanting the handsome human to come out to her so she could take him with her. Gou quickly popped up again and grasped Nagisa's arm, yanking her back before sending a serious look. Rei stopped and stood back, watching the blonde sadly go under the water and not come back up.

\--

            "Nagisa! What the _hell_ were you thinking?!" Gou yelled as she quickly swam with Nagisa back to their pod.

            "I...he was going to die!" Nagisa cried, lowering her magenta eyes into slits. "I had to do something!"

            "You know that the number one rule in our pod is that we never interact with humans, Nagisa! He could've _killed_ you! Do you not realize how dangerous this is?!" Gou cried, quickly lowering her voice when she arrived back to the pod with Nagisa.

            "He wasn't going to hurt me!" Nagisa hissed, crossing her arms as she swam to the alcove they were staying in. "He held me...and he said my name..." Nagisa dreamily spoke, biting her lip.

            "Nagisa. You know it's almost mating season. You need to find the merman you want." Gou cursed, glaring.

            "I want him...I want _Rei_..." Nagisa breathed, giggling.

            "You can't mate with a...a... _human_!" Gou spoke, disgusted.

            "Yes I can!" Nagisa exclaimed, glaring. "I was going to bring him with me before you yanked me away!"

            "I had to! You know Rin would've been up there in a few minutes. He was asking where you were, since he and Haruka were about to have a race." Gou glared, shaking her head.

            "You should've had Ai distract him! I was going to bring Rei with me and mate with him and then let him go!" Nagisa argued, her button nose sticking out into the water.

            "Nagisa. He's human. He would've drowned." Gou whispered, exasperated. "That's why you had to save him in the first place."

            "He fell off the ship and he was falling deeper and deeper! He was about to die before I yanked him up to the surface and laid him down on the sand. I couldn't let him die...not in front of me." Nagisa breathed, closing her eyes.

            "You used to let people drown all the time!" Gou exclaimed, incredulous to the change in Nagisa's behavior.

            "They weren't Rei..." Nagisa whispered, holding back tears.

            "Nagisa, I don't want to be mean...but mating season begins tomorrow...and we're at the age to mate. You need to find your mate and forget that...that...human!" Gou argued, putting a webbed hand on Nagisa's shoulder. "Please."

            Nagisa let out some tears, holding back sobs before nodding. Her and Gou were now 16, as was their friend Ai. Ai was already matched up to Rin as a mate, since it was fairly obvious. Ai would always swim with Rin and comfort him. They even "mated" before season began, which nearly got them in huge trouble with the head of the pod. Rin didn't mate his 16th year, but attempted to do so out of season with Ai, even though she was 15. Rin then waited for Ai to turn 16 before participating in the mating season. At least they can officially start now. Nagisa assumed that Ai was with Rin at the moment. Gou was matched to Seijuro. He was handsome, with orange hair and a flawless body. His tail was a deep gray color. Rin was Gou's older brother, and he had a scarlet tail that went perfectly with his dark burgundy hair and eyes. Nagisa saw Ai swim by with Rin and grumbled. Ai's lavender hair was silky in the water, and her light blue tail moved effortlessly.

            Nagisa didn't have a mate. Nagisa thought she would find comfort in the "mommy" figure out of her group of friends, but she knew she would find no resources in Makoto. Makoto was a beautiful mermaid, with a olive green tail and long wavy brown hair. Her eyebrows were always scrunched together with sweet concern. Makoto mated with Haruka last year, since they were old enough to do so, and it was obvious that they were to stay permanent mates, as the pod required. Nagisa turned to retort at Gou, but groaned when she found Gou giggling at Seijuro, who handed her a piece of coral.

_Just great._

            Nagisa quickly swam to the other side of the alcove, passing Makoto and Haruka, where Haruka was giving Makoto a fish. She giggled and kissed the male on the lips, his dark blue tail swishing in surprise. Nagisa knew it was customary for the male to present the female with a gift before they mated. Gou got coral, Makoto got a fish, and Ai got a pearl from Rin.

            _Splendid._

            Nagisa saw all the couples with each other, and quickly swam away, since she knew it was a good distraction. She swam back in the direction towards where Rei was. She was just going to stay with him until mating season ended, which would be tomorrow night. She sighed when she got out of her pod's territory and swam as fast as she could towards Rei. Nagisa looked up at the darkening sky through the surface of the ocean, sighing with relief when she reached the island. Her head peeped up and she saw Rei lying down on the sand, looking up at the clear sky. Nagisa splashed a bit to get his attention, and he immediately jolted up, a small smile painting his lips.

            "Nagisa." He breathed, walking to the shoreline of the small island, blushing when the mermaid quickly swam up and wrapped her arms around his neck since he was kneeling down.

            Nagisa quickly covered his lips with hers, her teeth nipping at his lip. Rei fell back in surprise, closing his eyes as the delicious taste of Nagisa filled his mouth. She was mildly salty from the sea, but tasted fresh and sweet. He then knew why sailors were lured to their deaths through the beautiful creatures. He allowed her nimble tongue to enter his mouth, blushing heavily when she allowed her upper half to completely lay down on Rei's chest, gently trying to unbutton his shirt. He let out a desperate whine, running his hands through her silky blonde hair, their tongues mingling outside of their mouths in a desperate way to stay connected. Rei pulled back and sat up, Nagisa nearly tumbling backwards.

            Rei forgot that Nagisa didn't have legs like his.

            Everything was happening too fast. He woke up on the shore of an abandoned island, complete with a beautiful young mermaid, of which wanted to make love with him, or something. He coughed and rolled his eyes. _Sounds like every sailor's dream._ But Rei wasn't a sailor. He was a marine biologist. He had so much to do when he would eventually get back to Tokyo. He wasn't going to be stranded forever.

            _...right?_

            Nagisa loyally stayed back, observing Rei's body language. Rei was already so closely attached to the girl, and he had no idea why. All the...human girls he had ever been with never truly held his attention like Nagisa, or scratched his brain. He figured that was because the human girls weren't scientific breakthroughs. He so desperately wanted to give in to his primal need of Nagisa, but had to refrain. She wasn't human. She probably didn't even know what sex was! Rei didn't know if they gave live birth or laid eggs for god's sake! Rei put his head in his hands and then gasped.

            He could draw in the sand to ask Nagisa questions.

            He knew it would be somewhat hard, but he grabbed a stick and began drawing in the sand, Nagisa's head tilting. Rei drew himself and Nagisa, distinguishing the stick figures by having one with legs and one with a tail. Nagisa let out a delighted giggle, biting her lip. Rei then drew him and Nagisa right next to each other, causing the mermaid to blush.

            "Nagisa." Rei breathed, continuing to draw.

            Nagisa's eyes widened and she let out a low purr when she saw that Rei was drawing what seemed to be a mating act. It wasn't detailed, but he merely drew a plus sign between the drawings of her and him, the equals sign showing a baby or eggs. Nagisa inferred that Rei was asking about how her kind reproduced and she smiled happily. She gently pointed towards the live baby. Her pod gave live birth, since they were mammalian. Rei's eyes lit up, happy that the blonde understood. He quickly smoothed over the sand and began to draw again.

            Nagisa stared as Rei seemingly drew his stick figures in equations, all featuring plus signs and equal signs. Nagisa learned that the plus meant together and the equal meant the product, just as before. She felt her whole body get hot when he drew a plus sign between himself and Nagisa's stick figure, then providing a equal sign with nothing on the other end.

            Rei was asking if Nagisa would even be able to mate with him. She bit her lip and crawled closer, her lips ghosting over Rei's cheek before letting out a series of purring clicks.

            Rei assumed that meant yes.

            Rei was slowly laid down as he stared up at the mermaid in shock. He was so happy she understood, but he could not for the life of him figure out where the hell Nagisa's...sexual organ would be. She looked into Rei's lavender eyes and let out a giggle at the confusion in his eyes, gently leaving a lingering kiss on his thin lips. She quickly curled her tail up and began to rock back and forth on Rei, causing him to let out a blissful moan. She stopped and then sat up, blinking her wide magenta eyes. Nagisa thought over what Gou had said.

            How could she even make a child with Rei? Nagisa just assumed that if she "mated" with Rei, she wouldn't have a baby, since their species were unlike. She swallowed and peered more at Rei's body, seeing all the various similarities. Rei had two eyes, two hands, two arms, and a torso...just like she did. The only difference between the two were that he had legs and she had a tail. Nagisa then knew that it would be a potential outcome for her to give birth to a baby created by the two of them. She swallowed nervously. She had never seen a mermaid-human hybrid. Would the baby even survive? Nagisa tried to push out the vision of her giving birth to the baby and watching it sink to the bottom of the ocean, desperately kicking its small legs, having no gills to breathe with.

            She let out a loud whimper, tears leaking out of her eyes. Rei quickly noticed and tried to wipe her tears as she closed her eyes tightly. He gently rubbed her back and smiled when she began to let out purrs again, kissing his neck sweetly. She looked up and swallowed, wondering how to communicate back. She sighed and tried to think of all the human words she had heard while she swam up near the harbors. She knew that there were many dialects, and prayed that Rei would be able to understand her words.

            "Rei..." She croaked, blinking. She bit her lip and looked up. "Rei...w-want...?" She whispered, Rei getting a beautiful shiver up his spine. She was speaking English. Rei was grateful that he took a few semesters in it, and he attentively listened, nodding for her to continue.

            "Rei want...Nagisa...b-ba?" She stammered, tilting her head. "B-ba...b-ba." She nodded.

            Rei cleared his throat and repeated her words again and then let out a gasp.

            "Rei want Nagisa baby?" Rei questioned, letting out a hum when Nagisa nodded excitedly, clapping her webbed hands.

            "Yes...!" She coughed, blinking happily.

            Rei blushed heavily as he stared at the sand, her small rounded chest quickly rising up and down as she awaited his answer. He bit his lip. Rei had the exact same vision as Nagisa. He had a feeling that Nagisa would probably not be able to produce a baby at all due to the different species...but started noticing all the similarities. She had breasts and the exact same upper body as a human girl...only her tail was the losing factor. He didn't want to imagine making a baby with the mermaid and then never seeing it. He sighed and swallowed.

            "Nagisa...do you...um..." Rei quickly pulled out his stick and drew a picture of him in a boat and a shoreline.

            He wanted to know if Nagisa could get him back home before he answered.

            Nagisa studied the drawing and then jolted up when she understood the meaning. Rei wanted to go home. She swallowed and nodded, biting her lip.

            "Y-yes." She spoke, Rei letting out a small smile. "T-o..." Nagisa tried to sound out more words. "To-morrow?" She stumbled, nodding.

            Rei let out a loud sigh of relief, nodding. Nagisa had a sad look in her eyes. She wanted Rei to stay...but she knew that he wouldn't be able to survive on the island. She knew the path Rei's father's ship was taking. She could easily get Rei back on board with time to spare the next day. She looked down at her fingers and wished that she could mate with Rei...but the possible disasters proved too many.

            She desperately wished that Rei could be a merman. She wanted him to desperately be part of her pod. She just wanted him to live right next to her forever. If he was a mermaid, she wouldn't have to worry about mating season. She could make love to Rei and give birth to a potential child a year later, if her cycle allowed. It was rare for mermaids to get pregnant, which is why mating season was so desperately important. Nagisa looked down when she remembered how hard Makoto cried when she lost her and Haru's baby. She was halfway along and then...it was gone.

            She looked into Rei's eyes and held back tears, leaving a sweet kiss on his lips. She wanted Rei with her so badly...and she would never have him. After she took him back to his father's ship, they would most likely never see each other again. Nagisa's eyes were full of yearning an she quickly kissed Rei deeply, putting her hands in his navy hair.

            She loved the texture of it, and the beautiful feeling of her body meeting his. She adored how his legs would be pushed up against her tail. She curled her tail once more and rocked, causing Rei to let out a series of whispered moans and cries. She was so good at teasing him, and he had a feeling Nagisa knew it. They looked into each other's eyes and seemed to understand what the other wanted.

            Nagisa knew that she couldn't mate with Rei, but she wanted to show just how much she loved him and wanted him. She kissed him deeply, and continued to rock deeply and sweetly, excited at the sound of Rei's wanton moans, not caring who heard. She happily gave into his greedy kissing, and felt Rei throb through his pants, her rocking slowing down as he tried to catch his breath. Rei knew that this was extremely inappropriate.  He knew that by doing all these activities, he would find himself more attached to the mermaid...which could end up in undeniable heartbreak.  She laid with him on the sand and curled up into his side, her blinking growing slow and lethargic. His hands traced over her tail, causing shivers to run up her spine. She wished she would never have to take him back to the ship.

\--

            Early morning, Nagisa helped Rei finish putting together his temporary wooden boat, pushing it out into the ocean. She gently gripped the bottom of it and began to swim fast, Rei regretfully looking back at the island where he met the most marvelous enigma of his life. He started to feel tears prick at his eyelids when he saw his father's ship in the distance. He was happy to be reunited with his father and show him that he was still alive, but he couldn't fathom how much he would miss the girl that saved his life. He quickly grasped onto the rope hanging off the boat and began to climb it, looking down at the beautiful Nagisa, her holding up a hand and gently waving. Rei looked down and bit his lip, waving back, nearly to the top of the vessel, sending her a heart stopping smile.

            Rei was finally up on deck where his father let out a loud gasp, running to his son and embracing him tightly. Nagisa happily looked on at the display of affection, and dived back underwater, heading over to her pod. When she arrived, she noticed that the couples for the mating season were holding hands and speaking with each other, as she swam by, in a state of bliss. Gou, Ai, and Makoto noticed before swimming off after the blonde to see what happened.

            "Nagisa?" Ai called, peeking around the alcove's corner.

            "Hey Ai!" Nagisa exclaimed, then greeting the other two girls that swam in.

            "What are you so happy for?" Makoto smiled, biting her lip in curiosity.

            "Nothing..." Nagisa sung, looking down at her webbed fingers.

            "It doesn't look like nothing." Gou commented, raising a burgundy eyebrow.

            "I found my mate. We didn't mate...but we stayed the night together." She smirked, a loud gasp coming out of each of the girl's mouths.

            "Who?!" The girls chorused, unable to hold back their shocked looks.

            "He's from another pod...very far from here..." Nagisa smirked, biting her lip.

            She wasn't exactly lying. She just left out the part that her mate was of another species and lived on land. Who knows...maybe she would see Rei in a year and be able to spend the night with him once again during mating season.  


End file.
